Interviewee Information
Dr. Anabela Cordeiro.
Associate Professor of Immunology at Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto &
Senior Researcher at I3Se
Anabela Cordeiro holds several academic degrees, including a First Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (1990), an MSc in Immunology (1992), a PhD in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on Immunology (1997), and an Aggregation in Immunology (2005), all from the University of Porto. Currently, she serves as a Group Leader for the Parasite Disease group at the Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Porto, since 2006, and an Associate Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, since 2005.
Her primary area of scientific activity is in Immunology & Infection, with a focus on host immune mechanisms controlling/susceptibility to infection, particularly the signaling profile induced by Leishmania parasites in host immune cells. Anabela's group has achieved notable success in understanding how Leishmania species modulate dendritic cells' maturation, activation, and immunostimulatory abilities. Additionally, her research extends to the identification and validation of therapeutic targets and drug delivery systems based on Nano formulations, including PLGA nanoparticle encapsulation of anti-Leishmania drugs. Anabela has a keen interest in improving diagnostic tools for leishmaniasis and has contributed to the development of a strategy combining specific Leishmania antigens for more effective serological diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. She has extensive supervisory experience at the post-graduate level, having successfully supervised numerous MSc, PhD students, and postdocs. Anabela actively participates in international networks and research projects, including her coordination of the Europe-India consortium "New Indigo" and involvement in COST Actions related to targeted chemotherapy and microvesicles/exosomes. Anabela has been the Principal Investigator of various national and international projects and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications in journals such as PLoS Negl Trop Dis, The Journal of Immunology, and Nanomedicine. She holds patents related to drugs against Trypanosomiasis and cancer diseases and vaccination against leishmaniasis.